Edmonton Elks Stay Red Hot, Crush Hamilton Tiger-Cats
After spending the week celebrating the new private owner of the organization, the Larry Thompson era got off to a good start as the Edmonton Elks blew out the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 47-22 on Saturday night.
The Elks dominated the second and fourth quarters. They scored 25 points in the second quarter and added another 15 in the fourth to pull away from Hamilton. It was indeed a redemption game for quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson, who threw for 234 yards and two touchdowns with no turnovers. A key stat in the game was Edmonton scoring touchdowns in all six possessions in the red zone.
Some moments are bigger than sports, and the Tiger-Cats trying to play the game with wide receiver Luther Hakunavanhu and quarterback Taylor Powell's unfortunate injuries made it a challenge for Hamilton. Bo Levi Mitchell struggled under center again, with one touchdown and two interceptions in the loss. Despite 521 of total offense, the four turnovers by Hamilton was the main factor for its loss.
Edmonton keeps the good times going with a third straight win as they are 3-7 on the year. Hamilton lost their third straight game and hold the worst record in the CFL at 2-8.
3 Takeaways from Edmonton's Impressive Win
1. Backup Running Backs Stole the Show
Edmonton's Justin Rankin and Hamilton's Greg Bell stepped up as backups and performed well for their teams on Saturday night. Javon Leake was knocked out of the game with an injury, which opened the door for Rankin's 108 yards and three touchdowns performance. Bell did it all with 85 rushing yards and 88 receiving yards and two total majors. Both guys proved that they can carry the rock when guys go down.
2. Injuries Impacted Hamilton
It was a scary moment at the beginning of the game when Hakunavanhu went down awkwardly and had to be carted off the field and in an ambulance after one play. Powell also suffered a head injury and was sent to the hospital for precautionary reasons. Fans received good news that he and Powell were released from the hospital and are doing well. This had an effect on how the Tiger-Cats played as they were down as much as 32-3 at halftime, but in moments like that, the result of the game doesn't matter as long as the two guys are doing okay.
3. What Needs to Change with Tiger-Cats?
So much went wrong for Hamilton on Saturday, from injuries to turnovers. At some point, the blame game has to start going to the coaching staff and head coach Scott Milanovich. The team has some bright spots, but the defense needs to work on holding teams out of the end zone, and the offense can't protect the football. If Powell, Hakunavanhu and James Butler can get back on the field soon, maybe things will turn around. If not, Hamilton will start to look like the prime contender for the No. 1 pick in the CFL Draft next year.
Up Next
- Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Winnipeg Blue Bombers (Friday, Aug. 23 at 8:30 pm EST)
- Edmonton Elks at Montreal Alouettes (Sunday, Aug. 25 at 7:00 pm EST)
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ANTHONY MILLER